Reimbursement cuts, hiring freezes and equipment purchasing holds are becoming a reality for many radiology groups under the Affordable Care Act.That’s according to a recent survey of Diagnostic Imaging readers in which we sought to get an understanding of just how much the law is already impacting the industry and how much - or how little â radiology professionals understand the reforms.The results showed that although most imaging professionals have a fair understanding of the ACA, only half know where to go for more information. Groups seem split on the level of their leadership's involvement in reform discussions, too.But there’s little confusion that the law will - or is already - greatly impacting radiology. Most respondents expect pay to drop either slightly or greatly, and most are already feeling the cuts. Hiring is on hold at many facilities, as is equipment purchasing.Check out the slideshow for the full results, and tell us your experiences in the comments section below.
We polled radiologists, administrators, technologists, and PACS/IT managers about their understanding of the Affordable Care Act. More than 60 percent of respondents were between the ages of 41 and 60.
Thirty-five percent of respondents described their understanding of the ACA as “fair,” but nearly 17 percent said it was “poor.” Only 2 percent admit to having an “excellent” understanding of the health reform law.
Only half of respondents know where to go for information about the Affordable Care Act.
How involved are you and/or your radiology leadership in health reform discussions? More than a quarter reported being “very involved” or “extremely involved.” Yet 20.7 percent aren’t at all involved.
More than half expect income to be much lower thanks to the ACA, and another 27.6 percent think pay will drop slightly. An optimistic 12.4 percent say it won’t have any affect and 7.6 percent even think it will be higher.
Only 20 percent are participating in an alternative payment model, but others plan to very soon.
Twenty percent of respondents have been involved in Health Information Exchanges from the beginning, and another 12.7 percent have just started. A quarter, however, work in states that don’t yet offer an HIE.
Forty percent are already seeing slight effects of reform’s reimbursement cuts, while 37.4 percent are seeing major impact of the cuts.
The Affordable Care Act seems to be affecting hiring at many radiology groups. Sixty-six percent reported a hiring freeze, and 6 percent have had to lay off radiologists.
Equipment purchasing is also taking a hit at some facilities. More than 32 percent say they have a freeze on all new purchases, while half say they will only purchase new equipment if there is a demonstrable return on investment.
